Cosecha

Cosecha was a Mexican restaurant in Swan's Market in Oakland, California in the United States, which operated from 2011 until 2021.

Cosecha
Restaurant information
Established2011 (2011)
Closed2021
Owner(s)Dominica Rice-Cisneros
Food typeMexican
Dress codeCasual
Street address907 Washington Street, Oakland, California
Postal/ZIP Code94607
CountryUnited States
Coordinates37°48′6.16″N 122°16′30.25″W
ReservationsNo
Websitecosechacafe.com

History

Chef Dominica Rice-Cisneros opened Cosecha in 2011. She decided to open it in Swan's Market, a historic market in downtown Oakland that, which, at the time, had been virtually empty and was seeking tenants to revive its market concept. She began looking to take out a loan for the restaurant and friends tried to talk her out of it, believing the old market was not a good investment. Rice-Cisneros' desire to open Cosecha was inspired by visiting food markets growing up in Los Angeles and while spending time in Mexico City. Swan's Market fit her vision. The market now features Cosecha, as well as more than a handful of vendors and restaurants.[1]

Cosecha was featured on Check, Please! Bay Area in 2015[2] and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in 2016.[3] Rice-Cisneros was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2019 for her work at Cosecha.[4]

In March 2021, Rice-Cisneros announced that the restaurant would close. The primary reason for closure was the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on business. She lost 80 percent of her regular customers. She also started to build out a second Oakland restaurant, Bombera, which she delayed opening in 2020 due to the pandemic. The closure of Cosecha enabled her to focus on opening Bombera. Rice-Cisneros closed Cosecha on March 27, 2021.[5]

Cuisine

Cosecha served breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch on the weekends.[6] The menu was small, changing regularly based on seasonal and available ingredients. The restaurant sourced organic produce from farms in Davenport and Guinda, California.[7]

The restaurant used its own, handmade tortillas.[6] The tortillas were made by a group of Latina women in their 50s and 60s that Rice-Cisnero calls "Tortilla Masters."[8] The daily menu always included tacos, such as those filled with crispy fish, achiote-flavored chicken or pork belly.[6][9] The restaurant also had quesadillas, tamales and tortas, the latter served on Acme bread.[9] They made a mole verde, which Rice-Ciseros called "a love letter to Mexico City."[10] The menu also included pozole or elote as specials.[11] The restaurant also had salads and salsas made with seasonal ingredients[6] On Saturday evenings, they offered a prix-fixe dinner.[6] Brunch offerings may have included pancakes with housemade Spam and chilaquiles.[6][9]

Ambiance

Cosecha was located in a food court in an old market building in Old Oakland. The restaurant opened to the street by way of garage doors which are open year-round.[9] It shared seating space with a handful of other restaurants and food vendors.[1] The seating comprised wooden community tables and wooden bar tables facing out towards the street with metal chairs.[7] It had an open kitchen.[11]

Reception

Chef Paul Canales named Cosecha one of his favorite East Bay restaurants in 2013.[12] The restaurant was named one of the best places for pozole in 2016 by KQED.[13]

References
  1. Tsai, Luke (December 23, 2015). "The Year of the Food Court". East Bay Express. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  2. "Check, Please! Bay Area Season 10 Premiere!". KQED. April 16, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  3. "Cosecha (Oakland, Ca)". Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  4. Han, Sarah (February 27, 2019). "The 2019 James Beard semifinalists have been announced. Here are the East Bay contenders". Berkeleyside. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  5. Wells, Madeline (March 12, 2021). "Popular Oakland lunchtime Mexican spot is closing after 10 years". SFGATE. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  6. Birdsall, John. "Cosecha Mexican Cafe". East Bay Express. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  7. White, Bobby (March 21, 2012). "Cosecha Café". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  8. Bouzari, Ali (September 7, 2018). "Housemade: Cosecha Cafe's master class in handmade cooking". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  9. "Cosecha, Oakland: Mexican flair in Swan's Market". SFGATE. January 12, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  10. Strange, Kaitlin (January 4, 2019). "In Her Own Words: An illustrated interview with Dominica Rice-Cisneros of Cosecha". Berkeleyside. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  11. Battilana, Jessica (August 8, 2011). "Cosecha Restaurant by Chef Dominica Rice". Tasting Table. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  12. Gore, Molly (September 25, 2013). "Where the Chefs Roam | Taste | Food & Drink | Oakland, Berkeley & Bay Area". East Bay Express. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  13. Westerman, Kim (November 6, 2016). "Bay Area Bites Guide: Five Worthy Pozole Destinations in the East Bay". KQED. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
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